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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28964838">Errand Run at Tosche Station</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Innwich/pseuds/Innwich'>Innwich</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Humor, Luke Skywalker Being a Jerk With a Heart of Gold, Tosche Station (Star Wars)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:55:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,352</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28964838</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Innwich/pseuds/Innwich</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke returned to Tatooine to drop off Grogu to the Mandalorian for Life Day. When Luke’s X-wing stalled in the dry heat of the desert planet, Luke knew just the place to find the parts he needed to fix the engine.</p><p>Or, in which Luke ran into a long-lost adversary at his old hangout on Tatooine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Boba Fett &amp; Luke Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Errand Run at Tosche Station</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Thank you for bringing him here. I would’ve come to the Temple, but I had to attend to some business here on Tatooine,” the Mandalorian said, carrying Grogu in his arms.</p><p>The Mandalorian was keeping Grogu bundled up and safe from direct contact with his armor. His armor would be hot enough to burn the whiskers off of a sand rat if he had been waiting for them since Luke had hailed him from orbit.</p><p>It had been a year since Luke had last seen the Mandalorian on the Imperial cruiser, and the Mandalorian was looking better than he had then. He had trimmed his moustache and combed his hair for Grogu’s homecoming. He must have worked hard on the mirror polish on his armor. It was actually kind of painful for Luke to look at him in the eye when he was being blinded by the full force of the binary suns.</p><p>Luke opted for smiling down at Grogu, who was clutching a small silvery ball that the Mandalorian had handed him. “It’s not a problem. Grogu has been looking forward to seeing you again. Let me know when you’re ready for me to pick him up. You have my comm code.”</p><p>“I have it,” the Mandalorian said, trailing off. He was distracted by the wrapped gift that Grogu was pulling out of thin air.</p><p>The Force ability of teleportation was one that Luke had spent the past six months telling Grogu not to abuse. Grogu had insisted it would be a neat trick, and, judging from the way that the Mandalorian was rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Grogu was right on the money.</p><p>Grogu beamed widely at Luke. Luke grinned right back at him. Guess Luke would have to let Grogu off the hook just this once.</p><p>Luke bid the Mandalorian and Grogu goodbye, and headed back to the hangar where he had left his X-wing. Nothing warmed Luke’s heart as much as seeing a youngling be with their family again. Grogu was the last of his students to have left the Temple for this year’s Life Day. Speaking of which, Luke should give Leia a holocall before she launched a rescue operation to look for him.</p><p>Artoo greeted Luke at the hangar door by beeping furiously at him.</p><p>“What is it, Artoo?” Luke said. “What do you mean the X-wing has stalled?”</p><p>The X-wing had stalled. Artoo had run a routine diagnostic test after Luke had left with Grogu, and couldn’t get the engine to start Apparently, the engine had run dangerously hot during the intragalactic travel from the Temple and had overheated in the dry desert heat that was trapped within the poorly-ventilated hangar.</p><p>“I know you told me to upgrade the cooling system on Chandrila,” Luke said, trying and failing to draw heat out of the engine through the Force. Artoo beeped in alarm when the engine released a cloud of steam with a loud hiss. Luke hastily used the power of the Force to slam the valve shut again. “It’s not like I can’t do it now.”</p><p>Artoo pointedly listed all the parts that Luke would need for the upgrade and hadn’t thought ahead to take with him.</p><p>“Power converters?” Luke said. His eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “I know just the place to find some.”</p><p>Artoo beeped questioningly.</p><p>“Well, not just power converters, but also all the parts we’ll need for the upgrade. C’mon, get into the landspeeder. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover,” Luke said.</p><p>Tosche Station was a squat pourstone building surrounded by walls that were built to discourage raiders and bandits. Steep stone steps were built on the south wall as the only easily accessible path into the Tosche Station. While Luke climbed the steps with the agility of a womp rat, Artoo followed him with much difficulty.</p><p>Laze and Camie had used to make out under the stone steps until Luke had realized they had been ditching him for time to themselves. After that he had always found them at their secret make-out spots with an uncanny accuracy. Camie had thrown some hurtful words at Luke after Luke had jumped on them from behind a door, saying he had been rough and irritating and everywhere. Of course, now Luke knew it was the Force that had led him to them without fail.</p><p>Luke had to let his eyes adjust to the lack of artificial light inside the shop. The only light was coming from the open door. Biggs had used to joke that Merl Tosche had built the place with no windows because he couldn’t be bothered to clean them. It was as if not a day had passed since the last time Luke had met up with Biggs and the gang here. The racks and the wares they held were covered in sand that had blown through the doorway, which was always kept open to keep the shop from getting too hot and stuffy.</p><p>Merl Tosche was sitting behind the check-out counter. He was nose-deep in the wirings of a labor droid, greasing its motor bearings. While Luke had only ever swung by the Tosche Station to hang out with his friends on the days when Merl had been away and Laze had been running the shop, Luke had been here with Uncle Owen often and known the grouchy old owner.</p><p>“Hi, Merl. How is business?” Luke said.</p><p>“Can’t complain,” Merl muttered without looking up from his work.</p><p>“How are Laze and Camie? I was looking for them in Anchorhead but their neighbors said they had left after the wedding,” Luke said. He made a beeline for the back of the store. The power converters were kept there on the shelves just like Luke remembered. On the way, Luke picked up some cables and power tools that Artoo pointed at. He was delighted to find his initials which he had carved into the wall behind the bargain bins of re-refurbished parts years ago.</p><p>“Skywalker?” Merl croaked. “You can’t be here. You have to leave.”</p><p>“I just have to pick up some power converters, Merl. I’ll be quick. You won’t even know I’ve been here,” Luke said.</p><p>A stranger was sifting through the wares next to where the power converters were. Luke stopped short at the sight of the unmistakably Mandalorian armor and helmet that the stranger wore. Luke had only known one set of green Mandalorian armor that had come with those yellow pauldrons and red vambraces, and it had been tumbling into a sarlacc pit together with its wearer the last time Luke had seen it. </p><p>“That armor. Where did you–?” Luke started to say.</p><p>The T-shaped visor of the helmet turned in his direction.</p><p>Luke had a sudden Force vision of the stranger firing his wrist-mounted flamethrower.</p><p>“Artoo, get back!” Luke shouted. He ignited his lightsaber just in time to block the fireball blasted at him. His cloak caught fire, and he quickly stomp out the flames before they spread.</p><p>The stranger activated his jetpack for a powerful jump away from Luke. The stranger only got as far as the other side of the shop; he might have gotten farther away if he weren’t trapped by the walls and low ceiling. As soon as Luke gave chase, the stranger gunned his jetpack again and flew towards the front of the store. He was trying to make a run for it. Luke flung his ignited lightsaber at the open doorway. The lightsaber cut through all the racks in its way and sent shelves crashing to the ground.</p><p>“Sorry, Merl!” Luke said.</p><p>The lightsaber caught up to the stranger before Luke did. The stranger veered away from the doorway before he cut himself on the spinning lightsaber, and flew at the checkout counter. Merl gasped and, in his haste to get away from the counter, toppled backwards in his chair and pulled the labor android down to the floor with him. Luke made his lightsaber fly back into his hand.</p><p>The stranger landed heavily on the checkout counter, and fired rockets out of his knee pads. Luke caught the rockets with his lightsaber, and the explosives fried and melted on the heat of the blade. Luke wasn’t so lucky with the wrist-mounted rocket that the stranger shot from his vambrace. The rocket detonated in mid-air before it reached Luke. The force of the explosion sent Luke sprawling on his back, singed and covered in bits of plaster from the ceiling.</p><p>The stranger was rising to his full height on the counter and pointing an EE-3 carbine rifle down at Luke’s head. “What do you want, Jedi?”</p><p>“It is you.” Luke gaped at him.</p><p>Luke would never forget that raspy voice. It had haunted him ever since Boba Fett had tracked him down and ambushed him in Ben’s house. It had roughened with age and unsuppressed rage, but it belonged to Boba Fett alright, not just a scavenger that had picked up the armor in the desert and was operating it like a second skin.</p><p>“Where are Captain Solo and the Wookie? Are they with you?” Boba said.</p><p>“You’ll never find them,” Luke said.</p><p>“So they’re not dead. The smuggling rings haven’t heard from them in years,” Boba mused. “Good. I have unfinished business with Captain Solo.”</p><p>Luke clammed his mouth shut.</p><p>But Boba’s self-satisfaction faded in his next words. “Get out. I don’t want to see  you around these parts again.”</p><p>“Look, I have as much right to be here as you do,” Luke said.</p><p>“Not if I have any say about it,” Boba said icily. Without taking his stare off of Luke, he said to Merl, “I’ll buy this shop from you, Tosche. How much do you want for it?”</p><p>Merl was trembling behind the counter. “Please have mercy, Your Fearsomeness.”</p><p>“You can’t order me to leave, Boba Fett,” Luke said, ignoring Merl’s panicked attempt at hushing him. “I just want to pick up some power converters.”</p><p>“Look on your handiwork.” Boba yanked off his helmet. In spite of himself, Luke stared at the gnarled scars that crisscrossed Boba’s face. Luke didn’t know what Boba had looked like before his fall into the sarlacc pit and Luke wasn’t the kind of high roller that Han bragged to be, but he was willing to bet his X-wing that Boba probably had had hair and eyebrows and eyelashes before they had been burnt off by the digestive juices of a sand monster.  Boba sneered, “Got something to say, Jedi?” </p><p>Merl was rocking himself back and forth with his eyes firmly shut. “I didn’t see Your Fearsomeness’s face. I didn’t see it.”</p><p>It was obvious that Boba wasn’t in a forgiving mood, but Luke refused to walk out of here without making a case for himself. </p><p>“You know, it wasn’t me. Han was the one who knocked you into the Pit. And to be fair, you were trying to kill me,” Luke said.</p><p>“That doesn’t sound like an apology to me,” Boba hissed dangerously. “Get out. Now. Before I burn your face off.”</p><p>Luke didn’t say “I’d like to see you try”, because he was a Jedi Master and younglings looked up to him. What would they think if they knew he had provoked a near stranger into burning his face off over some power converters? Boba already looked like he was ready to pop a vein. No, it wouldn’t be very wizard of Luke to escalate a volatile situation. So Luke did the only thing he could: He walked out the door like the bigger man that he was, but not before saying, “Don’t kill Merl, okay? You can’t get power converters at this price from anyone else on Tatooine.”</p><p>Standing on a dune outside the Tosche Station, Luke stared up at the blinding binary suns, thinking about how unlucky he had been to run into Boba Fett of all people and how unfair it was for Boba to kick him out of the shop. The Force was not with him today. Artoo slid down the stone steps of the south wall with a series of loud clangs, and landed headfirst and half-buried in the sand.</p><p>Luke perked up at Artoo’s muffled beeps. “Watto? We’re not going to Mos Espa just to pick up some overpriced power converters, Artoo. How did you even know that old crook?”</p><p>Artoo wasn’t suggesting that they went to Mos Espa at all. Artoo beeped for help again through sand-clogged speakers. It took a few tries before Luke caught on to what Artoo was saying. Finally, Luke tried to dig Artoo out, burnt his remaining flesh hand on Artoo’s sun-heated metallic body, and then lifted Artoo out of the sand with the power of the Force.</p><p>“I think we should wait for Boba to leave,” Luke said, climbing into his landspeeder. “Let’s move over there. We’ll have a good view of the doorway, and see when he jets off.”</p><p>It was a long wait. Whatever Boba was doing in the Tosche Station, he was taking his sweet time doing it. Luke was digging up a fossilized bantha tooth, which he put in his pocket to bring back to his students after Life Day, when he was shot at by a sniper that he couldn’t see, and had to fix a blaster hole in Artoo’s body after he had accidentally deflected a blaster bolt at Artoo. He sent Han a quick message about Boba (“Very funny, kid. Got any more bridge on Tatooine you wanna sell me?” “I’m telling you, Han, he’s real pissed off about it.” “Yeah? What’s he gonna do? Crawl out of the sarlacc pit? I don’t think so!”), darned his singed cloak, and meditated in his landspeeder until the persistent sniper brought some more friends to take potshots at him. It was well after nightfall when Merl snuck out of the Tosche Station with an armful of wares and begged Luke to take them.</p><p>Luke revised his earlier opinion. It had been a pretty good trip, Luke thought as he sped off with power converters in the trunk of his landspeeder.</p>
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